December 9, 2014 paid sick leave took a step closer to reality in a committee of the whole meeting of the Tacoma City Council, where Mayor Marilyn Strickland floated her proposal. The public was permitted to view the proceedings, but not comment on them. Each Council member had a unique point of view, but debate was civil, if contentious on a few occasions. The Mayor framed the initial discussion by introducing answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) and was roundly complimented by Council members for introducing a concrete proposal that could finally move the issue forward. In a nutshell, the proposal requires all businesses, small and large, to offer earned paid leave for illness of the employee or family member, to deal with domestic abuse and to attend medical appointments. The ordinance would go into effect one year after passage by the Council, giving time for training businesses in the law and time for the City to staff and budget for the administration of the ordinance. Read more

The growing demand for a $15 per hour minimum wage has the potential to help rebuild the workers movement in the United States. Beyond the obvious purpose of raising income in our own home town, that is my main objective in working on the 15 Now Tacoma campaign. If we are going to counteract the political and economic power of Big Business, we workers seriously need our own political voice. It is the absence of such a movement that has enabled Big Business to claw back the hard-won gains achieved by workers movements during the 19th and 20th centuries. Those achievements included the eight-hour work-day, child labor laws, the original minimum wage - even the free public schools so many of us now take for granted. Here are some facts about the minimum wage. Read more

Initiative 1163 is currently seeking endorsements of political organizations in Pierce County. The initiative is aimed at restoring protections for seniors and people with disabilities under care by long-term care workers. Read more